


The King in the Tower

by AetherSprite (AranthianPrincess)



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: 15th Century, Attempted murder of children, M/M, Medieval England, Princes in the Tower, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-09 18:07:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6917671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AranthianPrincess/pseuds/AetherSprite
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Instead of spending seventy years trapped in ice, Steve finds himself suddenly in the distant past where he meets a boy king and a charming man from the not-so-distant future. Together they go on an adventure intimately entwined with one of England's most enduring mysteries.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The King in the Tower

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Art for "The King in the Tower," by Aethersprite](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6915784) by [Ellidfics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellidfics/pseuds/Ellidfics). 



> **Author's Notes:** I want to thank my lovely partner and talented artist, ellid, for being so patient with me. This fic fought me every step of the way with ideas coming at me from all directions, but I finally found something that I could grab and run with. I hope you all enjoy this crazy mix of medieval settings, time travel, and mystery all rolled into one.
> 
> **Note on Germany:** I have no idea where Steve was actually fighting when he attacked the train in CA1 because it's been a while since I've watched it and the wiki wasn't particularly helpful in that regard. I'm going with Germany since it's WWII and Hydra seems to be allied with the Nazis, plus it helps me establish part of the story.
> 
> **Note on Titles of Nobility:** As far as I know, the full, formal titles given for each of the members of nobility are correct, but I don't really know what they would be called informally and my Internet was down when I wrote that part. Because of this, a few characters are referred to by their title only by other characters when necessary. Steve and Tony, being American and from the future, don't follow this pattern. The nobles and royalty are referred to by their first names by Steve and Tony since I think that's how people from a country without nobility would be inclined to refer to others, especially people who are as friendly and informal as Steve and Tony.
> 
> **Note on Names:** There are two pairs of characters with the same name in this fic. Don't blame me, I didn't name them. Tony is, of course, Tony Stark. Anthony is Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers. Then there are two Richards who should never appear in the same scene, but it can be confusing nevertheless. If you would like to know in advance who these people are, you can find a list of the characters with the same names and a little about each in the end notes.

Tony stormed into the Daily Bugle offices, ignoring the secretary who tried to waylay him and several well-meaning employees who came to her aid. On any other day, Tony might have felt badly for the girl, she looked to be young still, probably just barely into her twenties, and inexperienced. He didn't want to make her life difficult, but, unfortunately for her, his current mission outranked her feelings in importance.

While her co-workers comforted the poor girl, Tony burst into the editor's office. The alliterative name on the door, J. Jonah Jameson, only pissing him off instead of making him laugh as it usually would. The man himself sat behind his desk and looked up at Tony's interest. He didn't appear particularly surprised or concerned.

“What do you want, Stark? I've got a newspaper to run here,” Jameson said, looking back to his computer and prematurely dismissing any response Tony could give.

Tony strode over to Jameson's desk and slammed both hands down on it hard, startling Jameson into looking up at him.

“Leave him alone,” Tony demanded. He leaned over the desk into Jameson's personal space. The other man didn't look as terrified as he should have, in Tony's opinion.

“Leave who alone? I haven't bothered anybody.”

“You know who I mean,” Tony persisted. “I want you to stop running articles about Captain America or I will bury you in so many lawsuits you won't be able to see straight for the rest of your life, however short that may be.”

“Is that a threat, Stark?” Jameson said, eyes narrowing.

“It's a warning.”

Tony straightened, glancing down at Jameson's desk. A preview of tomorrow's Daily Bugle front page caught his eye. 'Captain America: Time Traveler or Liar????? “No Comment!” Cries “Captain” on Mysterious Medieval Manuscript' read the headline. Tony grabbed it and waved it in Jameson's face.

“This does not go to print or you will be hearing from my truly impressive team of lawyers,” Tony said and tore the paper in half, letting the pieces flutter back to the desk as he turned his back on Jameson.

“The people deserve to know the truth! Superheroes are the problem!” Jameson shouted.

“Keep telling yourself that,” Tony said and left.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Tony wandered past the tower common area the next day on his way to grab another cup of coffee and just happened to catch sight of Steve reading a newspaper. This in and of itself wasn't unusual except Tony managed to catch sight of the large photo on the front page. It was an image of a medieval shrine in full color, but it was the relatively small red, white, and blue circle encasing a star that drew his attention. He could only see part of the headline, but it was enough for him to recognize the mock-up from yesterday.

“J, have my lawyers start working on a lawsuit against the Daily Bugle,” Tony said.

“And what shall I tell them they're suing for?” JARVIS asked.

“Denigrating the good name of a national icon,” Tony replied. He set down his mug on the nearest flat surface as he walked into the room. “Hey, Cap. What's up?”

Steve glanced up at the sound of Tony's voice before returning his attention to the paper. Tony decided that meant Steve didn't mind the company and took a seat on the couch next to him. Up close, Tony could see the creases between Steve's eyebrows. Whatever the article said upset him. Tony hadn't read it, and he had no intention to, but he knew it couldn't be good.

“You shouldn't read that crap,” Tony said. “Jameson especially is full of it.”

“Are you telling me you don't read what they print about you?” Steve asked.

“I try not to,” Tony said. “It's not always the most flattering. Actually, even when it's positive, it's not always flattering.”

Steve laughed. “How can you be so easily confident?”

“It's a skill I've been cultivating since childhood.” Tony shrugged. “I like to think I've gotten pretty good at it after all these years. What are they saying anyway?”

“Nothing much. The same thing they've been saying,” Steve said and put down the paper. “I couldn't possibly have traveled through time so I must be lying. And the whole story is something the government cooked up based on some real life medieval hero and gave to me to memorize. They're saying everything from my shield to the uniform was stolen from this other guy.”

“Yeah. That sounds about right,” Tony said.

“Jameson is calling for my retirement.”

“Okay, that's new. Don't worry about it, Cap. I've got my people on it.”

“What?” Steve said, staring quizzically at Tony, his brow furrowed.

“I've already had JARVIS get my legal team on the case. I won't let him drag your pristine name through the mud.”

“Tony, I appreciate it, but you don't have to do that,” Steve said earnestly.

“I know, but I want to,” Tony insisted. “That's one of the perks of being my friend. And to think that you were reluctant to come live here with me in the tower when I invited you.”

“I had my reasons, Tony.”

“I know, I know. You didn't like me when we first met. I've been told I make a bad first impression,” Tony said, flapping a hand dismissively.

“I don't dislike you, Tony,” Steve insisted.

“Okay,” Tony agreed, but he could tell Steve didn't quite believe his ready capitulation. “What's the story?”

“The story?” Steve asked.

“The time travel story. What happened?” Tony said. Steve watched him warily for a moment. “Oh, come on! I won't laugh, I swear.”

“Alright. I'll tell you, but you're not going to believe me,” Steve said.

“Why wouldn't I?”

“Because you were there.”

“What?” Tony said. He could feel his brow furrowing in a confusion he could never remember feeling before.

“Maybe I should start at the beginning,” Steve hurried to say and took a deep breath. “It started when I crashed the Red Skull's plane into the ocean. I remember bracing myself for the impact and thinking I was definitely going to die. The next second I was trying to figure out how I'd gotten back on land...”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Steve blinked rapidly, trying to figure out how he'd gotten there. He looked around for the plane or the ocean and saw neither. He stood on the side of what appeared to be a dirt road surrounded by a seemingly endless field of deep green grass one would only expect to see in a color film. It reminded Steve of The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy leaves the sepia-toned Kansas for the bright color of Oz.

He still wore his Captain America uniform, the slightly muted tones somehow jarring when compared with his surroundings. In the distance Steve could hear the clanking and see the glare of a large metal object coming his way. Thinking he might as well head toward the only sign of civilization, Steve hooked his shield, which he'd somehow managed to keep hold of, onto his back and started walking.

The closer he got to the oncoming group, the more confused Steve became. The large irregular shape had finally resolved itself into several smaller shapes. Eventually Steve was able to make out armored men on horseback. He shook his head to try to clear his vision and straighten out his brain – he must have hit his head in the crash – but the horsemen were still there and coming closer. They looked exactly like the medieval knights described in stories he'd been told as a child. The real question was: Why?

Judging by the sudden jump in activity, they'd seen him as well and were just as confused. Steve couldn't really blame them. Strangely dressed people tended to draw questions if his own experience was anything to go by. Still, these were the only people he'd seen so far and they might have some answers to the questions chasing themselves around his mind.

“Halt! Identify yourself!” The leader of the horsemen ordered as soon as they were within shouting distance, drawing his sword from its sheath. Steve didn't see any firearms, but he wasn't willing to risk getting attacked by a force this large – there looked to be at least a thousand men, if not more – if he could help it. He raised his hands in the universal gesture of I'm-unarmed-and-mean-no-harm.

“My name is Steve Rogers. I'm a captain in the U. S. Army. Can you tell me where I am?”

“Who do you fight for?”

“The United States Army and the Allied Forces,” Steve said, but he could tell that none of this was making any sense to his interrogator. “I was sent to stop Hydra and, in doing so, I crashed one of their planes into the ocean. I don't know what happened after or where I am. Can you help me?”

The leader sheathed his sword, but didn't relax completely. Apparently, he'd decided Steve didn't mean any harm, but wasn't quite ready to trust him yet. “You are approximately two days' ride east of Ludlow.”

“Ludlow? What's today's date?”

The man gave him a look, but fortunately answered. “It is the sixteenth day of April in the year of our Lord one thousand four hundred eighty-three.”

Steve's legs might have given out from underneath him if he'd had any brain power left over to give the order for his leg muscles to suddenly relax. As it was, he remained standing by virtue of intense shock alone. His brain was just too busy processing this new information to manage anything else at the moment.

“I'm in fourteen eighty-three?” Steve repeated to himself. He was just aware enough to notice that the man who had been talking to him looked vaguely concerned by his reaction.

“Where are you from, stranger?” The man asked. “How did you end up out here? And why are you dressed so strangely?”

“I'm from Brooklyn, in New York,” Steve said. He could sense the sudden interest ripple through the crowd. They must have recognized something he said. “I don't know how I got here. I was fighting Hydra in Germany and the next thing I knew I was here.”

“Germany? Do you mean the Germans of the Holy Roman Empire? We are not at war with them.”

“The Holy Roman Empire? I feel like I'm getting more questions than answers,” Steve said.

“Clearly, you are not from this area,” the man said. Steve squashed the urge to say something sarcastic in response. “I am Anthony, Earl Rivers and this is my nephew, Sir John Grey.”

“Nice to meet you both. Is there anything you can do to help me? I'm very lost, as you can tell.”

Anthony hesitated and lost his chance to speak. A younger voice came from behind him, calling out from a carriage Steve hadn't paid much attention to until now.

“Allow him to join us, Uncle,” the voice said. Steve craned his neck to get a better view of the speaker and was surprised to see a young boy just into his teens sticking his blond head out the window of the carriage.

“Your Majesty, are certain that is a wise idea? This man is a complete stranger. We know nothing about him and he is oddly dressed,” Anthony protested.

“I have heard all I need to hear,” the boy replied. “The best place for him to go is London, where we are headed. He looks like Hercules and even slays hydras. What more do you need to know?”

“Those are just stories, Your Majesty. They're not real.”

“Even so, every story has some basis in fact. I want to hear this man's tale. Come, Captain Rogers. Join me in the carriage,” the boy ordered and withdrew back inside. Anthony and his nephew both gave him distrustful glares, but this boy must have held some measure of power over them because no one stopped him from doing as ordered.

Steve hesitated when he reached the carriage door, but an impatient noise from inside urged him on. He opened the door and stepped inside, careful not to dislodge the shield on his back. Talk about embarrassing. Steve wasn't quite sure what to do after closing the door behind him and taking a seat opposite the only other occupant. The carriage started moving again as soon as he was seated.

“You are oddly dressed,” the boy said, looking Steve up and down, arm propped up and head resting on his hand.

“It's my uniform.”

“Your army wears bright flamboyant uniforms?”

Steve chuckled despite himself. “It's just mine, not the entire army's. I, uh, I'm part of a special force within the army.”

“And is that your weapon?” The boy asked, gesturing to Steve's shield.

“Uh, yeah. A friend of mine made it for me.”

“May I see it?”

Steve hesitated, but the boy looked up at him with such huge, innocent blue eyes that he reached behind himself and unhooked the shield from his back, handing it over slowly. The boy took it carefully and began examining it with an intensity that kind of reminded Steve of Howard when he was working. His fingers traced over the bright colors and outlined the white star in the middle.

“Is this your symbol?” He asked.

“You could say that,” Steve said, shrugging. “If you were to show it to anyone from where I'm from they could tell you who it belonged to.”

“You are famous where you come from, Captain Rogers?”

“Not as, uh, myself,” Steve said. “They call me Captain America.”

“'America?' That is an odd name,” the boy said.

“It's the name of my country. Where I come from.”

“I thought you said you were from New York.”

“New York is a city within America,” Steve explained. He frowned. “I don't mean to be rude, but you're asking an awful lot of questions and I still don't know who you are.”

The boy looked up, startled, and handed the shield back to Steve who hooked it back onto his back. “My apologies. My name is Edward. I'm on my way to London with my uncle to assume the throne.”

“You're a king?” Steve said, shocked. Edward nodded.

“As of seven days ago when my father, the previous king, died.”

“I'm sorry for your loss.”

“Thank you for the sentiment, but let us talk of happier things. Tell me about you adventures.”

Steve did as requested, deciding to start at the very beginning of his story since he suspected this particular boy would be determined to hear every last detail of Steve's life story. And that was how Steve passed his days and evenings. During the day he would ride in the carriage with Edward. When they stopped at noon for the midday meal he would sit and listen to Edward retell whatever stories Steve had told him to Anthony and John and anyone else who would listen. In the evenings they would have the evening meal during which Edward would recount the next round of Steve's stories to his audience. Steve was given a pallet to sleep on and, though he offered to keep a watch, was refused politely each time by Anthony. This routine was turned on its side six days later.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The carriage jerked to a stop suddenly in the middle of Steve's sentence. Edward stuck his head out the carriage window.

“What is the meaning of this, Uncle?” He called.

“A man suddenly appeared in the road, Your Majesty. He's dressed like the other one and speaks just as strangely,” Anthony called back. Steve could just hear the voice of another man in the background.

“'The other one?'” The new voice said. “What other one?”

Curious, Steve opened the carriage door, gently pushing Edward back inside, and stepped out. He was still wearing his Captain America uniform – no one had any extra clothes that would fit him – and he could tell this stranger recognized it. The man's dark eyes widened comically and a grin spread across his face.

“Cap! It's you!” He said cheerfully, starting forward and stopping just as suddenly when the sound of dozens of swords being unsheathed rang out. The man raised his hands and took a step back. “Whoa!”

Steve stepped forward, placing himself between the stranger and the people who looked eager to turn him into a pin cushion. “Do I know you?”

The man tilted his head to the side like a curious dog. “That's right. We haven't met yet. My name's Tony. Tony Stark. I'm Howard's son. We're, uh, friends... in the future.”

Steve looked Tony up and down, noting the resemblance to Howard, especially in the face. Tony had more wrinkles than Howard and looked to be several years older than the man Steve had known, but he did look like Howard's older twin. Tony wore strange clothing – a white dress shirt, tan jacket, and jeans – though Steve supposed it didn't stand out near as much as Steve's own uniform did. Even so, Tony did not look to be dressed for wandering the countryside.

“Where did you come from?” Steve asked.

“Me? Well, I just finished with the Battle of New York. I'm still kind of tired, actually. That fight was exhausting and the crazy megalomaniac who used the blue glowy thing to send me back in time did not make my life any easier.”

“Battle of New York? Did the Nazis make it to the U.S.?” Steve asked, suddenly feeling panicked. Tony's eyes went wide again.

“What? No! We beat the Nazis. No, this is something else, but I can't tell you about it,” Tony said.

“You had better tell me,” Steve ordered. “If something happened back home, I need to know about it.”

“I can't tell you, Cap. It hasn't happened for you yet and I don't want to screw up the timeline. You'll know when you need to. Trust me.”

“You do realize we're strangers, right? I don't know anything about you or if you're even who you claim to be. Why should I trust you?”

Tony smiled at him sadly, which struck Steve as strange and made him feel guilty. He didn't know why, but he suspected it was Tony's large, brown eyes.

“You don't know me, but I know you. We just fought a battle together. I spent my entire childhood hearing stories about you from Dad, reading the comics, and collecting everything I could,” Tony said. “Believe me, Steve, I know you. Please, just give me a chance.”

Steve let out a heavy sigh, something inside him telling him this stranger was being honest. “Alright. I'll give you a chance.”

“Steve?” Edward called from carriage. He was sticking his head out the window again. “Who is it?”

“A friend of mine. His name is Tony,” Steve said, bringing Tony closer. The king's retinue parted to let them pass, but Steve could see the distrustful glares from Anthony and John. Nothing new there. At least they had sheathed their swords. “Tony, this is Edward the Fifth, King of England.”

“Tell me, Tony, are you a superhero like Steve?” Edward asked Tony excitedly.

“No one's a superhero like Steve,” Tony said, grinning. “He's the best of us, but, yeah, I work with him.”

“How exciting! You must join us and tell me your tale.”

Edward sat back in the carriage without another word and Tony gave Steve an uncertain glance. Steve grinned and opened the door for him, gesturing for Tony to enter first.

“Better do as he says. He is a king, after all.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Steve was relieved to have found another distraction for the young king. Tony seemed more than willing to chatter on all day about his own adventures and, true to his claims, Steve's as well. Some of them even Steve didn't really remember, but Tony recited them as if he'd just lived it yesterday. In fact, the more time Steve spent in Tony and Edward's company the more convinced he was that the two had to be related, they acted so much alike.

Today's topic was the twelve labors of Hercules, which both Tony and Edward seemed to be very knowledgeable about. One thing Steve had noticed about Edward was his surprising amount of knowledge regarding literature, especially those tales of heroism and courage. When Steve had asked about it, Edward told him it was in the instructions his father had given Anthony that he was to be read stories of courage and heroic deeds. Steve thought Howard must have had similar thoughts, but when he suggested it to Tony the other man laughed.

“No way dear old Dad would have read his son frivolous stories filled with nothing but fantasy. It would fill my head with too much fluff and not leave enough room for useful knowledge,” Tony had said. “No, some of it I learned in school and the rest I found out on my own. I think I was going through a Captain America dry spell at the time. They couldn't churn out your comics fast enough for me.”

This surprised Steve. Tony seemed to be casually knowledgeable in a wide range of subjects, several of which Steve was dead certain he himself wouldn't be able to fathom. That Tony had spent a significant amount of his childhood learning as much about Steve as possible made his mind spin. Was he really that famous? He hadn't thought he was anything special, just a kid from Brooklyn fighting for his country, but apparently Tony and a not insignificant portion of the rest of the world disagreed.

“Which is your favorite labor?” Edward was asking Tony now. “Mine is the Nemean Lion, where he took the impenetrable hide of the lion to make himself a cloak.”

“That is a good one,” Tony agreed. “But I think my favorite is the Hydra. It reminds me of Steve here.”

Tony jerked a thumb at Steve who startled back into the conversation, having zoned out thinking about Tony and Edward and their crazy similarities. “Me?”

“Of course! Steve, you fought a hydra, did you not?” Edward said, turning to fix Steve with his excited gaze.

“I fought a group of people calling themselves Hydra, but not the creature.”

“Don't listen to him. He's being modest,” Tony said, waving a dismissive hand. “They called themselves Hydra for a good reason. They were big and nasty and evil and no matter how many Steve took down they just kept coming back.”

“Just like the real Hydra!” Edward said.

“They were aptly named,” Steve admitted. “And they didn't make my job easy.”

“You first encountered them when they captured your friend, right, Steve?” Edward asked.

Steve was prevented from answering by the sound of shouting ahead of them. It didn't sound panicked or angry, so he didn't make any move to exit the carriage, thinking it better to let Anthony and John take care of it rather than add an oddly dressed stranger to the mix. Several minutes later, after the voices had stopped, John rode back to the carriage and stopped to speak to Edward through the window.

“Your Majesty, it is your uncle, the Duke of Gloucester. He wishes to join our party to London.”

“Uncle Richard? He may join his convoy with ours,” Edward said after a moment of confused hesitation.

“The duke also would like to suggest a nearby town as a stopover for the night,” John said.

“How far away is this town?” Edward asked.

“We should reach it by nightfall, Your Majesty. It is along the road to London.”

“Very well. That will be acceptable,” Edward said and waved his hand in dismissal.

John bowed from astride his horse and rode back to the front of the line to deliver the king's orders. Out of the corner of his eye, Steve could see Tony watching Edward curiously. He sensed the young king's confusion too, then.

“Is this an unusual request?” Steve asked, startling Edward into looking at him. “For your uncle to find you on the road and ask to join you, I mean.”

“Not terribly,” Edward said, but he still seemed confused. “My carriage and retinue are quite distinctive. Should he come across my convoy while traveling he would recognize me. I just did not expect to meet him on my way back to London. I wonder why he has come.”

Again, Steve could see Tony staring at the king out of the corner of his eye, this time thoughtfully.

“It's probably nothing,” Steve said. “Maybe he heard about your father's death and came to pay his respects.”

“Hm... Perhaps,” Edward said. He was quiet the rest of the day.

~*~*~*~*~*~

They stayed at an inn in the town of Stony Stratford that night. Most of Edward's retinue slept outside as they had been doing since the inn was small and could not accommodate the large number of knights Edward and the duke had traveling with them. Edward, of course, obtained a room, as did Anthony and Richard owing to the fact that they were nobles, or royalty in Edward's case. Edward looked at them apologetically when Anthony returned from securing rooms for the three of them.

“I am sorry they could not accommodate the two of you as well.”

“It's not a problem at all,” Steve assured and smiled. “I've been sleeping outside for so long, I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do with a ceiling blocking my view of the sky.”

Edward smiled back. “You will dine with us before you retire?”

Tony answered this time, plastering a large smile on his face that Steve could tell wasn't quite genuine. “Of course. We wouldn't miss it.”

“Edward!” Someone called out just as the boy opened his mouth to respond. He grimaced and turned to face Richard who drew him away from Steve and Tony and, judging by the gesturing in their direction, demanded to know who they were.

“I don't think we'll want to be around for this,” Tony muttered and began tugging at Steve's arm.

“We can't leave him alone. He's just a boy,” Steve protested, but Tony refused to give in.

“Trust me, Steve. It's better if we're not in sight right now. Edward may be a boy, but he's also a king. He can handle himself and, if anything does go wrong, he has his guards.” Tony pointed to where Anthony and John were keeping a wary eye on Edward and Richard. “Come on. I need to talk to you in private anyway.”

Steve relented and allowed Tony to pull him behind the stable. “Alright. What did you need to talk to me about?”

“What's the date?”

Steve stared for a minute, trying to work out what Tony meant. Tony began shifting his weight and making impatient noises by the time Steve realized that Tony really had just asked for the date.

“I arrived about two weeks ago now, so... April twenty-ninth.”

“The year?” Tony prompted.

“Fourteen eighty-three. Why?”

“Shit!”

“Tony! Language!” Steve admonished instinctively. Tony gave him an exasperated-yet-fond look.

“We need to find John or Anthony right now,” Tony said, immediately setting off, then pausing. “Man, it sounds weird to be saying my own name when I'm talking about somebody else.”

“Tony! What's going on? What aren't you telling me?” Steve demanded, hurrying after Tony.”

“Richard is going to have John and Anthony arrested tomorrow.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

They didn't manage to find either John or Anthony before the evening meal so Tony made plans to corner one of them later. According to him Steve was “too easily noticeable not to attract unwanted attention” and Tony himself “could more easily go unnoticed if he had to.” Steve just went with it, thinking Tony was probably right. The bright colors of his costume had already attracted an unseemly amount of attention from the servers. By comparison, Tony was practically a nondescript shadow.

Aside from the uncomfortable staring and whispering by the staff, Steve and Tony went largely ignored by their dining companions. Richard refused to even glance their way and Steve could see Anthony and John carefully avoiding looking at them, presumably in an effort not to draw more attention to them. Edward kept giving them covert glances, clearly wishing he could sit and talk with them. Finally, after what seemed an age and then some to Steve, the meal was finished and they were dismissed.

Tony was up like a flash. Steve blinked and almost missed it. In just a few well-placed strides, Tony was casually loitering along the path Anthony would have to take to reach the stairs to his rented room. Steve watch as Tony caught him by the arm and whispered something to him before walking out the front door like nothing was amiss. Steve followed a moment later and met Tony behind the stables once again. Another few minutes and Anthony had joined them.

“What is the meaning of calling me here?” Anthony demanded. Steve opened his mouth to answer, but Tony beat him to it.

“You have to get Edward out of here,” Tony said. “Richard is going to have you and John arrested tomorrow and then he's going to imprison Edward in the Tower of London.”

Anthony stared at them. “That is... quite the accusation. You do realize you are accusing the Duke of Gloucester, the king's uncle, of treason?”

“We know it sounds crazy,” Steve broke in. “But it's the truth.”

“This does sound like the ravings of a madman,” Anthony said. He held up a hand to forestall their protests. “I believe you, but I cannot abandon my post.”

“What? Are you insane?” Tony nearly shouted, but managed to restrain himself just in time.

Anthony ignored him. “My honor would never allow it. I must do my duty to my king until I am no longer able, but I would ask something of you.”

“Anything,” Steve said immediately.

“Protect the king when I am no longer able. He is but a child still, no matter how maturely he behaves.”

“We will,” Steve promised.

“You have my gratitude,” Anthony nodded to them and left.

Tony sighed. “I guess that means we're sneaking off somewhere?”

“That would be the best course of action,” Steve agreed.

“And we're going to have to steal ourselves some clothes. We can't wander around medieval England dressed like this.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day happened just as Tony predicted it would. Richard had Anthony and John both arrested, along with a handful of other higher ranked men within Edward's retinue. Edward protested, but he was ignored and the arrested taken away. Steve and Tony watched it all from their hiding spot on the edge of town. There was a brief attempt made to look for them, but Richard called his men off before they were found. Then he left Stony Stratford with Edward in tow.

Steve and Tony followed Richard's convoy for a few days, but, when no opportunity arose to rescue Edward, gave up that strategy. Even with Steve's super soldier abilities they couldn't take on the six hundred men Richard brought with him, let alone the two thousand that had come with Edward and would now no doubt be under his traitorous uncle's command. Instead, they wandered from town to town, following the general path Richard's group took, but several days behind.

Tony sometimes went into the towns, if they were large enough, to get directions and barter for supplies. Steve stayed with what camp they had, still dressed in his Captain America uniform because they hadn't been able to find any clothes that fit him, and waited fretfully for him to return. Fortunately, Tony had managed to find and steal a set of clothes that more or less fit him, being much smaller than Steve. He was also more confidant in his social skills and easily charmed much of their needs out of the townspeople. After one trip into a larger town they stopped at, Tony returned with a dark cloak large enough to fit him, which Steve wore over his costume to help conceal it.

Finally, about a month after departing Stony Stratford, Steve and Tony found themselves in London amidst a whirlwind of people and rumors. Most of the latter seemed to revolve around Edward and his recent residency in the Tower of London until his coronation. Steve overheard several people gossiping about the postponement of the coronation as well.

“Tony, we need to find the Tower of London. That's where Edward will be,” Steve whispered.

“Yeah, I'm on it. Hold on,” he said and vanished into the crowd.

Steve found himself a relatively clear area to wait for Tony to get back. It appeared to be some kind of public garden. No one bothered him, so Steve couldn't bring himself to care what it was. He just stood there impatiently, consciously stopping himself from tapping his foot, and trying to distract himself with the numerous flowers. It didn't work.

“Come on, big guy. I found it,” Tony said, popping up next to him and startling Steve out of his thoughts.

Tony led him through the twisting streets and alleys. Various buildings crouched on either side housing what Steve assumed to be shops of one kind or another. A lot of the buildings had an upper level, where he presumed the shopkeepers resided. Nothing was as impressive as the great stone castle that appeared suddenly as they turned a corner. Steve's hands itched for paper and pencil so he could sketch the scene in front of him. A tall stone wall surrounded the grounds, but even they were not high enough to completely obscure the structure in the center.

“I present to you the Tower of London,” Tony said, spreading his arms wide and grinning. Then he pointed to the building Steve had just been admiring. “See that tall section there? That's the White Tower. Edward should be in there.”

It rose two stories above the surrounding walls and gleamed a brilliant white in the sun. Four towers rose another story above the upper floor at each corner. Arched windows yawned pitch black in the castle's pale face. Steve wondered which window looked into Edward's room.

“Now we just have to get inside,” Steve said. Finally, something he could do, but Tony's next words squashed that thought.

“Yeah, just one problem. The place is locked up tighter than Fort Knox. We're not getting in there easily.”

“Alright. We watch and wait for an opportunity. One is bound to come along eventually.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Nearly another month of waiting flew by. A month! And they still weren't any closer to getting inside the Tower. At one point a few days ago, Tony had suggested they simply storm the castle while everyone was busy with whatever was going on at the front gates, but Steve nixed that idea immediately. Whoever had just arrived at the Tower was important enough to warrant their own contingent of guards and the added manpower would only make it harder on them.

So there Steve was, taking his turn at surveillance. As usual, the townspeople flowed about him, gossiping about anything and everything. The favorite topic of the day: The invalidation of the previous king's marriage and subsequent illegitimacy of Edward to succeed him.

“Did you hear the sermon at Saint Paul's Cross on Sunday?” Steve overheard one lady saying to her friend as they wandered the streets. “Father Shaa said that the previous king married Queen Elizabeth while he was betrothed to Lady Eleanor Butler. Now his children have been declared illegitimate.”

“Illegitimate? Who will become king, then, if there are no legitimate heirs?”

“I heard the previous king's brother, the Duke of Gloucester has been asked to ascend the throne.”

“Oh, he would make a wonderful king!”

Steve had heard enough and hurried back to the inn Tony had found for them. They didn't have any money, but Tony had managed to broker a deal with the innkeeper for room and board in exchange for their labor. Even better, as long as they didn't cause any problems, the innkeeper didn't seem to care about how oddly dressed he was.

He found Tony in the small yard behind the inn chopping wood. Tony was sweating and clearly uncomfortable, but he never removed the shirt he wore. Come to think of it, Steve had never once seen Tony change in front of him.

“Tony, we've got a problem,” Steve said as he walked up.

“Aren't you supposed to be on surveillance duty for a couple more hours?” Tony said without looking up.

“They're making Richard king.”

Tony looked up at that, setting the ax down. “Guess that means we're making plans to storm a castle.”

“Yeah.”

“Give me a few days to gather some things.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Steve spent a lot of time the next few days doing all kinds of manual labor for the innkeeper, not only for their original deal, but as payment for the “things” Tony needed. Most of it seemed to be alcohol of one kind or another, but Steve also noticed a lot of empty glass bottles, torn pieces of cloth, and a coil of rope.

“What's with all the alcohol?” Steve had asked the first day Tony started collecting it. “Planning to get the guards so drunk they forget about our break-in the next day?”

“Not exactly, Cap,” Tony said, carefully setting the last crate of alcohol on the floor. “It's everything a guy needs to make Molotov Cocktails. Or a very weird party.”

“Molotov Cocktails?”

“Yep. What? Did you just expect me to walk in their unarmed?” Tony quipped. “You have your shield and I have this. If it makes you feel better, their armor should protect them and, just for you, I'll try not to actually hit anyone with one. Better?”

“Do you use these when we fight together in the future?” Steve asked, uncertain.

“Definitely not. Do you know how volatile this stuff can be? I'd rather use gun powder or something else a little more stable, but that stuff is nearly impossible to come by in this time, especially on such short notice.”

“Alright, I'll buy that. How do you plan on lighting them? It's not like you can run down to the corner store and pick up a box of matches.”

At that Tony looked up and grinned at him, a glint of amusement in his eyes. “You thought you had me, didn't you?”

“Maybe.” Steve shrugged.

“Aha! I knew it, but I'm one step ahead of you,” he said, pointing to something laying on the small end table by the room's lone bed.

Steve went over to examine it. Somewhere Tony had managed to scrounge up a glass jar and a leather bag with a strap small enough to just barely fit around it. Inside were several brand new candles. Steve just shook his head.

“Unless these are magical, self-lighting candles, you're going to have the same problem,” he pointed out sarcastically.

“They've gotta have torches around there somewhere, right? I only need to find one and I'm all set.”

And that was how he and Tony ended up spending one summer evening loitering around the docks. Richard had just been officially crowned King Richard III, complete with coronation, and was on his way out of town for a tour of the northern lands, taking most of his knights with him.

“That's convenient for us,” Tony had said when they'd learned about the new king's plans, but Steve found it suspicious.

They hugged the outer wall as they paddled down the Thames in the small boat Steve had liberated from the docks. It was just large enough to hold him and Tony, but it was the only one he could find without a mast. Fortunately, Edward was small still and should fit inside the boat.

“Do you think there are alligators in there?” Tony asked, watching the water warily.

“No idea. And I don't think I want to find out,” Steve answered.

“Here it is.” Tony broke the silence a minute later. “Traitor's Gate. This is our way in.”

They made it through the first opening easily, almost immediately encountering an iron gate on the other side. Steve reached out and grabbed the gate, bringing their boat to a stop in the water, and looked up to make sure none of the guards on the wall were looking their way. Then he grabbed his shield and swung at the padlock, smashing it. When no sounds of surprise came after a few seconds, he pushed the gate open and picked up his paddle to help guide them inside.

Tony got out first, scrambling from the boat onto the solid stone floor on the other side of the room. Steve followed. 

“Straight ahead. There should be a tower with an opening,” Tony whispered.

“Got it.”

Steve led the way through the gate, checking the immediate area for more guards as he went. There were none. They managed to cross to the tower Tony mentioned without being spotted, but a guard stood just inside the archway. Steve motioned to Tony to take cover by the wall as he crept closer, peeking around the corner to see the guard's back facing them. He grabbed the guard from behind and held him in a choke hold until he passed out and Steve could lay him on the ground.

“You know, sometimes I forget you fought in a war,” Tony commented. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

Steve ignored him and kept going. The path through the tower opened onto what looked like a normal city street. Buildings lined the right side, blocking the path to the White Tower. Steve looked around, but couldn't see an easy route, so he followed the street in front of him, hoping it would get him where he wanted to go. Just as they neared the end of the row, Tony grabbed his arm and yanked him to a stop.

“Gate on our right,” he whispered. “Guards.”

Steve nodded to show he got the message and looked around the corner. There were only two men guarding the gate. Good news for them. Steve grabbed his shield and stepped out from cover, throwing it at the farthest guard. He was down before he knew what hit him. The second guard had just enough time to realize something was happening before the shield rebounded off the first one and dropped him too. Steve caught it as it bounced off the second guard and hooked it onto his back again in a single smooth motion. When he turned to gesture for Tony to come out now, Steve caught him staring at him with huge, round eyes.

“Tony? Come on,” Steve hissed, waving at him to follow. “Where to?”

“Through the gate. Hug the left wall. First entrance you come to,” he said, suiting action to words and passing through the gate.

They crept along the wall as it curved away from the gate. Steve made sure to keep the pace slow to avoid drawing the guards' attention as they patrolled along the walls. He could feel Tony getting antsy because of it, but they managed to reach the entrance before he gave them away.

Steve slipped inside first and was surprised to find no one around. There were several torches in sconces lining the wall. Tony grabbed one to light his candles with then put it back. They took the stairs to the next floor where they entered the White Tower proper. They found themselves in a large room that looked to occupy the entire west side of the tower. A desk, chairs, shelves, and a fireplace populated the room, but no guards.

“Do you find this as weird as I do?” Tony asked.

“If you find it very weird, then yes.”

“Good. Glad it's not just me.”

“Where to now?” Steve asked.

“Door on the right, spiral staircase in the northeast. Up one floor. Edward should be in the northeast room,” Tony said.

“Alright. Let's go.”

Steve followed Tony's directions, finding the staircase with ease. They ascended it slowly, Steve listening for the sound of guards noticing their presence. Nothing. When they reached the next level, he found out why. Two guards lay just in front of an open door, the one leading to the room Tony said was Edward's.

As if on cue, a scream shattered the silence of the castle, unleashing a torrent of noise as the guards were alerted to an intruder and raised the alarm. Tony and Steve ignored this and burst into the room. A large brute of a man loomed over Edward who scrambled to get away. Edward just barely got out of the way of the brute's sword as it came crashing down onto the stone. Steve pulled the shield off his back, but hesitated to throw it for fear of hitting Edward.

Tony didn't have any such qualms. He reached behind his back and pulled a Molotov out of the bag he spent quite a few nights sewing together out of straps of leather and lit it with a candle.

“Edward! Get out of the way!” Tony shouted and threw the bottle at the man.

It smashed against his armor, exploding in a bright burst of flame and fading just as quickly, but it got the brute's attention. Edward managed to scramble out of reach and press himself into a corner. Fortunately, the brute momentarily lost interest in him and focused on Steve and Tony instead, who were backing toward the door. Unfortunately, the guards from the roof had heard the commotion and chose that moment to burst out of the staircase.

Tony bent to retrieve one of the fallen guards' swords. “I got this guy, Cap,” he said. “If you can get those guys.”

“Watch yourself,” Steve had time to say before the first of the newcomers was on him.

There were too many guards packed too closely together to count them. The only thing saving Steve was the bottleneck forcing them to come at him two or three at a time. Those he could fend off and take down and he managed to drive them back into the stairwell, hemming them in with the unconscious bodies of their fellows. He couldn't move around to much, too worried he might accidentally step on someone, so he stood his ground, an immovable wall against the tide. Steve had the brief thought that Tony would have been impressed when he heard a startled yelp from behind him.

Steve smashed the edge of his shield into one guards helmet and hit the last one with the front of it, dropping both and buying himself some breathing room. His side was clear for the moment, but a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach wouldn't let him feel the usual sense of relief such a respite would usually bring.

He rushed back into the room to see Tony on the ground, borrowed sword nowhere to be seen and a defiant glare on his face. Steve could see the beginnings of a large bruise on his face. Blood dripped from a slash in his side. From this distance, Steve couldn't tell if it was life-threatening or not, but he could see the imminent threat of death in the raised sword of Tony's opponent.

Acting purely on adrenaline-fueled instinct, Steve flung his shield as hard as he could at the would-be assassin. It flew true and smashed into the brute's head without slowing and continued until it buried itself in the stone wall behind him. The brute collapsed and Steve didn't bother to worry if he was unconscious or dead. At the moment, Tony was his primary concern.

“I thought you said you'd fought with me before?” Steve admonished, kneeling next to Tony and moving his arm out of the way so he could check the wound in his side. It was a shallow cut, luckily. Tony must have managed to mostly dodge out of the way.

“Guess now's not the time to mention I usually fight in a robotic suit of armor?” Tony offered.

“That would have been nice to know earlier.”

“Sorry, left it in my other pants.”

“Very funny, Tony,” Steve said, shaking his head. “Can you stand? We have to get out of here.”

“Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just, help me up.”

Tony reached a hand up and Steve grasped it, pulling him to his feet. At that moment, Edward burst out of his hiding place.

“Richard!” He shouted.

Both Steve and Tony were startled into action. Steve ran to the other side of the room and yanked his shield out of the wall, turning to face the only exit expectantly. Tony had staggered back against the wall and was now holding a lit Molotov at the ready, but no evil king appeared to attack them. Steve glanced over at Tony to find him looking back with a clearly confused expression.

“My brother! Richard! Where is he?” Edward cried again.

It finally registered that Edward didn't mean the shouting for a warning that they'd been caught. He was seeking a different person entirely. Steve recovered first.

“Who are you looking for?”

“My younger brother, Richard,” Edward said more calmly, though still frantic. “They brought him here some weeks ago. He hid when the assassin came in.”

“Don't worry. We'll find him,” Steve said and set about doing just that. He thought he heard Tony mutter something about “the damn Europeans and their damn need to give every damn person the same damn name” under his breath, but he didn't call attention to it.

Suddenly, Tony dropped out of sight on the other side of the bed. Steve nearly had a heart attack, thinking he'd collapsed from his wounds. Then Tony spoke and Steve could breathe again.

“Hi. You must be Richard,” Tony said quietly. “My name is Tony. Can you come out now? We have to leave before the bad men come to get you.”

Steve didn't hear anyone respond, but he assumed Richard must have refused because Tony did stand back up and Edward ran around the bed to reach his brother. Steve followed and managed to see a small figure huddled between the bed frame and a heavy end table. His blue eyes were wide with fear and his blond hair stuck up in every direction, likely from sleeping on it.

“Richard! There you are!” Edward said. “You can come out now. These are the men I told you about. Remember? They're superheroes. They're here to protect us.”

Richard shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. “I'm scared.”

“You don't have to be scared anymore,” Edward insisted. “These are good men and they came to rescue us. Come on!”

“Are you afraid of that big man?” Tony asked gently, far more gently than Steve would have expected. Richard nodded. “You don't have to worry about him anymore. Cap over there stopped him. He can't hurt you anymore.”

“But he was huge!” Richard said.

“But not as big as a Hydra, right?” Tony asked. Richard shook his head. “Did you know that Cap fought and killed a Hydra?” Richard shook his head again, eyes gone wide with awe rather than fear. “If he can beat a Hydra, then surely he can beat a man.”

“What if he comes back? Like the Hydra?” Richard asked.

That stumped Tony for a minute, then he pulled one of the extra scraps of cloth for his Molotovs out of his bag.

“Edward, bring me a small piece of wood from the fireplace.”

Edward did as asked, returning with a charred piece of wood. Tony spread the cloth on the floor and bent over it, using the charred wood to draw something. Steve couldn't see what Tony drew until he sat back up. On the cloth in smudged black lines was a capital 'A' with an arrow shooting through it.

“Do you know what this is?” Tony asked Richard, who shook his head.”

“This is the symbol for the Avengers and as long as you have it, no one can hurt you,” Tony said and handed it over.

“It's magic?” Richard asked.

“It is. It's the mark of my team. Cap is on it too.”

Steve could tell that Richard was still skeptical. Apparently, Tony could see it too, because he did something Steve had never seen him do in their time together. He reached for the collar of his shirt and pulled it down past his sternum. There, in the middle of his chest, was a glowing blue circle.

“Are you magic, too?” Richard asked, his voice breathy with awe.

“Sure. And as long as I'm here and you have that symbol, nothing can hurt you. I promise,” Tony said quietly, but with conviction.

Steve could see when Richard decided to trust him, because he reached out both arms and allowed Tony to pick him up. He clung to Tony, fingers curled tightly in the fabric of his shirt. That's when the peace was broken by the sounds of reinforcements clattering up the stairs and exclaiming at the wall of unconscious guards blocking their path.

“There goes our exit strategy,” Tony muttered.

“Tony! The rope!” Steve said, rushing over to dig in Tony's Molotov bag.

“Are you serious, Steve? You want to repel out the window?”

“Would you rather wait for the guards and try to tell them that we're time-traveling superheroes from the future here to stop their king from murdering innocent children?” Steve suggested.

“Fine. You have a point. I just hope your harebrained idea is half as good.”

“Don't worry. It'll be fine,” Steve assured him.

“I think you and I have very different definitions of 'fine,'” Tony muttered under his breath, but gamely moved over by the window. “You'd better go first, in case I fall and you have to catch me.”

Steve saw both Edward and Richard's eyes widen to twice their usual size.

“You won't fall,” Steve said, tying the rope around one leg of the heavy, wooden bed and tossing the other end out the window. “Edward, come here. I need you to climb onto my back and hold on tight, okay?”

Edward nodded and climbed onto Steve's back, wrapping his arms around Steve's neck and his legs around Steve's waist. When Steve climbed out the window and started down the side, he saw Tony telling Richard to do the same before he lost sight of them. Tony followed a few seconds later and it was a race to see who could get to their destination first. Tony's feet touched solid ground just as the new group of guards reached the window they'd used to escape. Tony reached for his candles and lit the end of the rope on fire.

“No need to make it easy on them,” he said when Steve arched an eyebrow at him.

“Most of the guards should be inside the Tower now. Speed over stealth this time,” Steve ordered.

Tony nodded his acknowledgment and they were off, sprinting around the southwest tower and back down the little street toward Traitor's Gate. Steve could hear the clattering of armor as the few quicker guards gave chase, shouting at them to stop. He felt grateful that they didn't have any long range weapons immediately at hand or their escape would have ended as soon as it began. As it was, they cut it too close for Steve's liking.

Steve stopped at the last gate leading to their boat, ordering Edward to climb off and follow Tony as he ushered the three of them through before him. He slammed the gate closed and twisted the two innermost bars together just as the first of their pursuers caught up. They yanked at the gate, still shouting at them to surrender, but Steve was already jumping into the boat, paddle in hand, and pushing them off.

They exited back onto the Thames and followed it downstream for awhile before crossing to the other side and abandoning it for the guards to find. The group continued on foot from there, losing themselves in the twisty streets and back alleys of London. Steve stopped them several times as men in armor marched by. Whether they were looking for them or not, Steve didn't know, but he wasn't willing to take the chance.

Just as the sun rose over the horizon, Steve caught sight of their destination, a convent on the outskirts of the city. It was quiet still, at this early hour, but Steve knew someone would be awake to receive two orphan children in need. He stopped the group still some distance away and knelt before Edward and Richard.

“I want you both to listen to me,” he said. Both boys looked at him innocently. “You both were very brave tonight and I'm proud of you, but you know you can't go back to the life you had. Right?”

“Are you sure?” Edward asked, looking hopeful.

“I'm sure,” Steve said firmly. “There are very bad people out there who will kill you to ensure they get and keep the throne. It's better for you both if you start your lives over here with new names and everything. The people here will help you and you'll be able to live long, happy lives.”

Edward bowed his head, downcast. “Okay.”

“Hey, cheer up,” Tony said, smiling brightly and putting a hand on Edward's shoulder. “You still remember the stories you read, right? Life's not always easy, but the courageous never back down from a challenge. Did Hercules quit when he found out the Nemean Lion's hide was impenetrable?”

“No,” Edward said.

“This is your Nemean Lion. Overcome this labor and go on to the next and just keep putting one foot in front of the other. You never know, one day you might even fight and defeat your own Hydra,” Tony said with a wink. “I have faith in you.”

“I will!” Edward said, bouncing with excitement and barely contained energy. “I will never give up!”

“That's the spirit,” Tony said, smiling.

“And my brother and I will never forget you,” Edward continued, smiling first at Tony and then Steve. “Either of you. We both owe you our lives and I will make certain the world knows how you helped us this day. Come, Richard.”

Edward took his brother's hand and began walking to the convent where a nun stood in the door waiting. Steve didn't know when she'd gotten there, but she hadn't tried to run them off or summon the guards so he thought it was alright. Richard waved to them as he walked away and Steve waved back, a wave of sadness washing over him.

“I wonder what happens to them,” he said, not really expecting an answer, but, to his surprise, he got one.

“They're never seen or heard from again after this summer,” Tony said. “The going theory is that they were murdered in the Tower of London by any one of a number of different people. It's an enduring mystery. My theory: They lead normal, happy lives far away from the drama and intrigue of court.”

“You think?”

“Call me an optimist, but, yeah.”

“You know,” Steve said, glancing at Tony sideways. “Edward reminded me a little of you.”

Tony looked startled by the comment. “What?”

“He's what I imagine you as a child would have been like; precocious, full of energy, and obsessed with stories of bravery and heroes.”

Tony laughed. “Alright. That was a little weird, but I'm taking it as a compliment.”

Steve grinned mischievously. “And utterly adorable.”

Tony's eyes nearly bugged out of his head and his mouth worked as he tried to find something to say to that. Before he could, a strong breeze ruffled their hair and clothes and leaving behind a strange piece of paper. It was round with creases at equal intervals, like it had been folded, but there was no cut or tear in the paper that would allow that. The surface was covered in symbols Steve didn't recognize and the sections seemed to be randomly colored wither red, white, or blue. And, in the exact middle...

“Hey, that's my shield,” Steve said, bending to pick up the odd paper.

Tony's brown furrowed. “Your shield? Let me s-”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“-can't just keep him here!” Someone shouted. It sounded like Tony.

Steve blinked himself awake, sitting up and looking around. It looked like he was in a hospital room in the Forties, but that couldn't be right. He was just in fourteen eighty-three. And where was his shield? 

The door slammed open and in strode Tony Stark, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt that Steve didn't bother reading. He wore sunglasses, even though he was inside, which Steve thought was kind of silly.

“Steve Rogers? I'm Tony-”

“Stark. Howard's son,” Steve interrupted. Tony's eyes narrowed, but he continued anyway.

“Yes. Anyway, I came to invite you to move into my tower with me instead of being caged up here like some sort of animal. What do you say?”

~*~*~*~*~*~

“And then I came to live here with you in your big, shiny tower,” Steve finished. “That's the whole story.”

Tony sat silently, staring at Steve, not quite sure what to say. “That's, uh, definitely an interesting story.”

“You don't believe me,” Steve said, sounding so dejected that Tony wanted to hug him.

“It's not that. It's just a lot to process,” Tony said. “But if it makes you feel any better, I believe you believe it and that's good enough for me.”

“It doesn't help.”

Tony frowned and opened his mouth to say he didn't know what when someone beat him to the punch.

“Gentlemen, your skills are required,” Coulson said, stepping out of Tony's personal elevator.

“Security breach!” Tony said.

“Is it a mission, sir?” Steve asked eagerly, perking up like a dog ready to play fetch.

“In a manner of speaking. I have the files for you to review here,” Coulson said, handing over to folders. Steve took them both and handed Tony one, which he took reluctantly and only because it was Steve.

“Someone stole the Cube and you need us to retrieve it?” Steve asked disbelievingly.

“Yes, you start immediately. Be on the Helicarrier in one hour.”

Coulson spun on his heel and left. After that, Tony didn't think about Steve's fantastical story for days, too focused on Loki and the Chitauri invasion to devote any time to it. When the fighting was finally done, the Chitauri invasion repulsed, nuclear missile diverted safely into space, and Loki arrested Tony suddenly remembered Steve's story again. The entire team stood in the park encircling Thor and Loki, who held the Cosmic Cube in preparation to travel back to Asgard. Tony felt a vague sense of deja vu just as Loki performed some complicated hand gesture and the Cube flared a brilliant blue.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Steve shut his eyes against the brightness, an arm coming up to further shield them. When he opened his eyes again, the entire team plus Loki still stood there, but Tony was gone. Time stopped for Steve as he finally understood Tony's comment about a “crazy megalomaniac” and the “blue glowy thing.”

When he came back to himself everyone was shouting at once. Hawkeye and Black Widow advanced on Loki menacingly. Thor had already jerked his brother around and was demanding to know what he'd done to Tony. Bruce, Steve was a little worried to see, appeared to be fighting off the Hulk. Realizing he only had a few seconds before everything went to hell, he let out a piercing whistle. Everyone's attention shot to him and Steve fought the urge to shuffle his feet uncomfortably.

“Everyone calm down,” he ordered in his best Captain America voice. “I know what happened to Tony and I'm telling you that he's fine. You are all willing to come back to the tower with me and wait for him, if you wish. When Tony returns, he'll explain everything.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

When a week went by with no sign of Tony, Steve began to worry. The other Avengers didn't make things easier by constantly asking him questions. He had been forced to tell them all the story he'd told Tony just to get them to leave him alone, but that backfired on him spectacularly when all it did was get them to ask more questions. At least they were different. Although, Bruce's “are you sure Tony got transported back when you did?” made him fret and worry endlessly.

Not long after the Avengers finally heard Steve's story, they were all gathered in the common area. Steve didn't see an obvious reason for it, so it must have been a coincidence. However they had come to be there, the Avengers were together to bear witness to Tony's return. They were sitting around, no one doing anything in particular, when a bright blue flash similar to the one that had caused Tony to vanish the first time blinded them again. When Steve could see again, Tony stood in the middle of the room, a purple bruise spreading across one side of his face and an arm pressed against his side where Steve remembered the sword wound being.

No one moved a muscle for several long seconds, then the spell was broken when Steve stood up and strode across the room to Tony. Steve wrapped his arms around him and pulled an unresistant Tony in for a kiss. He could hear Clint wolf whistling in the background and the others chattering excitedly among themselves, but he couldn't be bothered to care. When Steve finally pulled away, Tony just stared at him, eyes wide as saucers.

“I know I should have seen that coming, but I definitely did not,” he finally managed to say.

Steve laughed. “Now you know why I didn't want to move in with you at first. I thought it might be awkward.”

“Yeah, I guess. I thought it was because you didn't like me. Who would've thought it was because you DID?” Tony said, laughing brightly. “And on an even brighter note, that whole Loki-Chitauri incident should shut Jameson right up.”

Everyone laughed and Steve took the opportunity to kiss Tony again because, why not? He was the mighty hero and the hero always got the girl. Or, in this particular story, the guy. Right?

**Author's Note:**

> The characters who share the same names are:  
>  **Anthony Stark** , who always goes by Tony, so he's pretty easy to remember.  
>  **Anthony Woodville, Earl Rivers** is Edward V's uncle, his mother's brother. Anthony Woodville presided over Edward's household while he was at Ludlow until Edward IV dies and Edward V, his son, returns to London to assume the throne. He is arrested over Edward's protests by Richard, Duke of Gloucester on April 30, 1483 and sent to Pontefracts Castle where he is beheaded for treason on June 25, 1483.  
>  **Edward V of England** is the young Edward we meet in this story. His father has just died and he's on his way to London to be crowned king. Part way to London his retinue is arrested and he is accompanied the rest of the way by his uncle, Richard III. When they arrive, he is confined to the White Tower in the Tower of London where he is later joined by his brother Richard of Shrewsbury. Richard III has his parents' marriage invalidated, thus making Edward illegitimate and ineligible to ascend to the throne. Sometime before the end of the summer of 1483 Edward and his brother go missing and are presumed to have been murdered.  
>  **Edward IV of England** is Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury's father. He dies before the start of the story.  
>  **Richard, Duke of Gloucester** is also Edward V's uncle, but on his father's side. Richard learns of the king's death on April 15, 1483 and sets out for London. He meets up with Edward on April 29th and the following day has Earl Rivers, Sir John Grey (Edward V's half-brother), and Thomas Vaughn (who does not appear in this story) arrested and later beheaded for treason. He then escorts Edward to London where he imprisons him in the White Tower. Parliament declares him to be king on June 25, 1483 and on July 3 he has his coronation where he's officially crowned King Richard III. (Yes, Shakespeare wrote a play about him.) He is killed in battle with Henry Tudor two years later, who then succeeds him as Henry VII.  
>  **Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York** is Edward V's younger brother. He was taken into hiding by his mother, Elizabeth Woodville, but Richard III managed to find them and persuade her to allow the young Richard to take up residence in the White Tower so that he may be present for Edward's coronation. On June 16, 1483 young Richard joins his brother in the Tower of London. They are see playing in the courtyard more and more rarely until they vanish altogether.
> 
> I used a lot of real people in this particular story. Ever since I first heard about the Princes in the Tower, I've been intrigued by their story. (My first encounter with them was in an episode of Black Butler, "His Butler, in an Isolated Castle".) Edward was just 12 years old when he went missing and his brother was just 9 or 10. The popular theory is that they were murdered, with the most popular culprit being their uncle, Richard III. Personally, I'm inclined to believe this theory because there are just too many coincidences involved that make it highly unlikely that Richard III did not at least know about Edward and Richard's disappearance if he wasn't involved. He had motive and opportunity. But I digress. If any of this sounds interesting to you, I encourage you to read up on it and see what you think.


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